


Tornado

by OmniscientProstitute



Series: If You Have Ghost [2]
Category: Ghost (Swedish Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-01-30 21:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12661737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmniscientProstitute/pseuds/OmniscientProstitute
Summary: This is a series of oneshots that is based off of my previous Ghost work call Dust in the Wind. It is not necessary to read that before reading these pieces, but it may put some references in perspective.These oneshots revolve around Air and Earth experiencing things together.





	1. Carnival

Earth pulled the large black knit beanie further over his ears as best he could with only one hand. His other hand was firmly grasped in Air’s. The ghouls had began their “world tour”, an international recruitment campaign. They were currently in North America, Lake County, Illinois to be particular and wading through the mob of spookily clad humans in order to get inside the park. It was Fright Fest which meant the ghouls could walk in public unmasked without raising too much attention. His brothers had taken advantage of the freedom, but Earth wasn’t so sure he should have left the hotel room. The humans kept bumping into and tripping over him. Some of them were smoking or wearing heavy cologne that burned his nose. If he hadn’t been clinging to Air for dear life, Earth feared he would have been swept away in the crowd and lost forever. That wasn’t even the worst part; no the giant metal contraptions that reached into the sky and sent unsuspecting victims plummeting to the earth were the worst. The screams the poor humans emitted were reminiscent of the ones Earth heard in Hell. The screams of torture and death not coming quick enough. Air had assured him it was fun. Even Fire, who never enjoyed anything, agreed that roller coasters were “thrilling”. Earth didn’t think he was going to make it back to the ground alive. He figured it was an earth ghoul thing, the preference of having his two feet planted firmly on the ground. 

Earth wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow the two had made it into the park. Everything was loud and smelled like a mixture of grease and metal. Earth wanted to cover his nose and his ears, but he only had two hands, and he wasn’t about to release his hold on Air. “You’ll get use to it soon.” Air had pulled Earth off to the side of the walking path, giving the two some space. Air’s grey eyes were alight with energy and life as they scanned the crowd and the rides. “The further in we get the less crowded it will be.”

Air was right. Once they got away from the food stalls and game stands the park opened up. However, the back of the park was also where the most intimidating roller coasters were.Air steered them towards a line that lead to a yellow coaster. The sign that hung overhead read, Batman. The name was familiar; Water was a bit of a movie fanatic and had dragged Earth along to a Batman marathon at one of the cinemas near the compound. Earth kept his mouth shut as people filed in behind them, trapping them in the line. He had promised Air that he would share his first experiences with him. He said he would try everything once. Earth also liked how excited Air had become. The tall ghoul was practically vibrating with energy by the time they got up to the gate. He had an arm wrapped around Earth’s shoulders, pulling their bodies together, and he was talking a mile a minute about the last time he had gotten a chance to ride a roller coaster. 

Earth’s stomach rolled as the park employees walked down the line looking the safety harness into place. Air had requested they get on the very first row on the ride. Earth just wished it was easier for him to reach out Air. He also didn’t like the way his feet dangled over empty space. The ride began with a jerk and the grinding of gears as the cars were pulled up a steep incline. Earth tried to keep his head forward, but they paused when they got to the top, and he couldn’t keep himself from rolling down. They were only stopped long enough for Earth to realize he was about to die, then they were off. At the first drop Earth shrieked, out of surprise and the fear that his stomach had magically managed to exit his body. He heard Air laugh, a carefree and hearty sound. Then, the wind deafened him again with another looping drop. Adrenaline surged through Earth, and despite his death grip on the harness he was enjoying himself. The weightlessness and senselessness of the ride also made Earth feel like he was being enveloped by Air. Earth wondered if Air resented being stuck on the ground. The thrill only lasted for a few minutes, then the car was rolling into the station. Earth felt a little wobbly once his feet touched the ground, but he recovered quickly. “That was so weird!” Earth exclaimed, his eyes following the next set of cars climbing towards the sky.

“But you liked it?”

“I think so.” 

Air laughed and took Earth’s hand again.”Good, we still have plenty more to go through.”

 

Earth tried to memorize each roller coasters name and unique experience. They all made his stomach swoop and his head spin, but some yanked his head around or had more dizzying loops than others. By the time Earth and Air agreed they were hungry enough to eat, they had cycled through each coaster at least once. Finding food became another series of new experiences. The ghouls had taken Earth to movies and malls, but he had never been to any type of amusement park, which meant he had never had fair food. Earth sat at their picnic table as instructed and watched Air quickly move through the crowd towards the food stalls. The ghouls had talked about corn dogs, which was apparently fake meat that was deep fried with a stick through it, cheese curds, chucks of cheese that were deep fried and served with chili and/or more cheese, and funnel cake, strings of deep fried pancake batter with powdered sugar on top, but Earth wasn’t sure any of that sounded edible. Air arrived back at the table with multiple trays of food that were all the same breading brown color. He also had a large plastic cup filled with a carbonated orange drink. “Alright,” Air pushed a paper boat filled with little brown balls towards Earth. “Try those first.”

Earth carefully popped the malformed sphere into his mouth and let it sit on his tongue for a moment. It didn’t taste bad, and it didn’t dissolve, so Earth carefully bit into it. His teeth pierced through the breading releasing a gush of warm cheese, mozzarella. Air took one as well; his jaw working the chewy substance. “What do you think?”

“They’re really good. What are they?”

“Cheese curds.” Earth picked one up, feeling mildly stupid that he expected them to be triangular. “Now try this.” Air pushed another paper boat in front of Earth, except it contained an oblong breaded something with a stick shoved in the end.

“This is a corn dog!” Earth lifted the stick, so the food hung upside down in front of his face. 

“Yes,” Air laughed, righting the food so it wouldn’t fall off the stick. Earth wasn’t sure how to consume the corn dog. The only food he had eaten that was similar was corn that was still on the cob, but that had been served to him with a skewer through the middle. He decided to attack it from the top. The breading was similar to that of the cheese curd in taste, but it was thicker and tasted more like bread. The meat was weird; it didn’t taste like anything Earth had experienced before. “It’s okay if you don’t like it.” Air assured in response to the conflicted face Earth was making.

“What kind of meat is it?”

“We don’t ask that question; we just enjoy the food.” 

Out of all the fair food that Earth tried his favorite had to be the cheese curds. The Chili Cheese Fries as Air had called them weren’t bad, but the bean-like meat sauce, or chili as Air kept correcting him, didn’t stay on his fries during the transition from bowl to mouth. Earth ended up smearing chili all over the table. Once they had finished their actual food, they strolled around the booths. Air warned Earth about the dangers of riding a roller coaster after eating. Vomit raining down in the middle of a loop or large drop didn’t sound appealing. They didn’t play any games; they just held hands and enjoyed the time they had together.   
The sun had set by the time they returned to the thrill of coasters. The darkness from being elevated above the lights of the park added to the senseless feeling, the discombobulation. Earth hoped they would return to an amusement park soon. He could feel himself becoming addicted to the weightlessness and the stomach dropping. He also wanted Air to be free from the creeping numbness the tall ghoul had described on multiple occasions. Earth wondered how close the compound was to an amusement park.


	2. Sweet and Sour

Earth took in the food that was spread out before him. Air had gathered fruits of all shapes and sizes for their seemingly biweekly “Earth Experiences Things” sessions. Earth learned within his first few outings, or dates, with Air that the older ghoul loved food. He loved cooking and allegedly snuck into the kitchen to help cook meals. Out on the road, Air would turn up his nose and show obvious distaste when the group stopped at fast food restaurants. The ghouls ate very standard meals. Every meal had some kind of protein and vegetable. In the summer, lunch would often be served with melons and grapes. Dessert varied between pies, cakes, and frozen morsels. Earth was personally partial to chocolate; dark chocolate was preferred. He particularly enjoyed the little squares that he could hold on his tongue and let melt. 

“Alright Earth,” Air pressed a kiss to the smaller ghouls temple before taking a seat beside him. “What do you want to start with?”

“I don’t know.” Earth eyed the brightly colored fruits. “Why don’t we work from your least favorite to your most favorite?”

“Alright.” Air took a wooden toothpick and speared a a green disk with small white seeds tucked in the fleshy middle. “This is a cucumber.” Earth lifted the disk to his nose, mistrusting it’s lack of distinct smell. The cucumber was practically tasteless, like water that someone momentarily dipped a tea leaf into. It wasn’t bad, but Earth could see why Air would prefer other fruits more. He liked flavor. “Next is kiwi. You can eat the skin, but some people find the texture disconcerting.”

“It’s fuzzy.” Earth rubbed his thumb along the curve of the semi-sphere. The kiwi threw Earth off. It tasted a little like the banana, the strawberry, and the apple all mixed together. 

“The struggle with kiwi’s is that they can be sweet or tart, but unlike apples, there is not a color difference that signifies their taste. I prefer sweeter kiwis, but somehow always end up with tart ones.” Earth took a sip of bubbly water to cleanse his palet. “ Next is the pear.” The pear had been sliced like an apple and had a similar skin but was much sweeter. The berries all had the startling gush of grapes and were always more tart than sweet. Earth preferred blueberries over raspberries and did not care for blackberries at all. “The next few aren’t really favorites of mine, but they have stronger tastes. These are all citrus fruits.” Earth had not been prepared for the orange it was not necessarily sour but not sweet. He had had orange juice before, but it had always been heavily sugared. The grapefruit was bitter and was the only thing that truly tasted bad. Earth had too work to swallow the fruit. The lemon had the strongest smell of all of the fruit. It burned Earth’s sensitive nose. The juice was sour; it made his face squinch and his eyes pinch shut and tear. He felt like he had experienced a momentary electric shock that made him lose control of his face. Earth spit the offending fruit out as Air laughed heartily.

“Humans actually eat that?”

“Most don’t take bites out of it; although, there are some who do. Lemons are normally used for flavor: a slice of lemon in a glass of water or some juice squeezed over fish. They actually aren’t that bad when mixed with sugar in a cake or other pastry.”

“I’d rather not test that.” Earth downed the rest of his sparkling water. “It felt like it was trying to eat my tongue.”

“It is acidic.” Air acknowledged, popping a blackberry into his mouth. “You never complained like this about pineapple.”

“Pineapple is sweet and causes more of a tingling sensation than outright pain.” Earth curled his hands into dramatic fists to accentuate his point. “I prefer not to torture myself senselessly.”

“Now, you’re being a bit over-dramatic.” Air teased, lifting a blueberry to Earth’s lips. “So, which is your favorite?”

“I liked the orange quite a bit. The kiwi was weird, but I didn’t hate it.”

Air chuckled. “Well, I thoroughly enjoyed every one. Reminded me to shop around for more exotic fruits when we are in Latin America.”

“We’re going to do this again?”

“Yes. There are many more fruits you need to try: Mango, prickly pear, Guava, plantain, tamarind, dragon fruit. Then, we will move on to vegetables. I bet you’ve never had radish, artichoke, kohlrabi, pumpkin, or sea beans.” Air began condensing the fruit into one bowl. “I don’t want you to end up like fire, content in the familiar and the most picky eater I’ve ever seen. He is lucky he is not a human; he would have died from scurvy centuries ago.” Earth laughed along, helping the older ghoul clean up the plates they used. “The day is still young, would you like to accompany me on a walk.”

“Sure, let me grab my sketchbook in case I see some interesting fruit I need to immortalize.” 

"Was it really that bad of an experience?" Air held the door to the compound open for Earth.

"The lemon was terrible, and the grapefruit was pretty gross too. But, no it wasn't that bad."

"Don't worry." Air took Earth's hand. "The next thing you are going to experience won't require you to eat anything." Earth quirked his eyebrow at the tall ghoul. "I was thinking of going to the zoo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry it has been so long since I posted the first chapter. I have been busy with school and had lost motivation. Instead of publishing a half-assed chapter, I preferred to wait until I was inspired again and could offer something better. The release of Rats and the announcement of the new Papa was apparently what I needed. Please accept this peace offering.


	3. We're Goin' to the Zoo

Earth was aware of animals. As an earth ghoul he was intimately connected with animals, even birds liked him; though, they were more intertwined with the air element. He knew about squirrels and chipmunks and bunnies from his walks around the compound, but large and exotic animals were more elusive. He had seen images of animals like elephants, tigers, and penguins in documentaries and in news reports. Earth had an extensive knowledge about animals. He had simply never interacted with them. Between practice, touring, and other ghoulish duties, he didn’t have time to visit a zoo. The closest one was more than an hour away. He was satisfied with raiding the compound’s library for encyclopedias.

“I haven’t been to a zoo in decades.” Air announced giddily. Papa had allowed them to take one of the clergy’s cars for their trip. Earth had never been interested in learning how to drive, but Air was highly proficient. “The last time I was at a zoo was in france right before the first World War. The only reason I’ve been able to hold out this long is because I took a trip to Africa in the seventies. I killed some poachers on that trip.” Earth listened to the story with rapt attention. “This was before the restrictions on ghoul influence on humans. The trip was about a month. We spent weeks in tents, being eaten alive by mosquitos. Towards the end of the trip we ran across a group trying to take down an adult male African Elephant. I killed the whole party. The rangers didn’t say anything. They wanted the poachers dead more than anybody else did. The only reason I did it was because I had just left a clan that had an earth ghoul that was heavily invested in endangered species and big game hunting.” 

Earth nodded, taking the information in. He hadn’t taken up any causes, granted he had only been on the surface for a short period of time, but he should have found something to make his passion project. Earth ghouls had tendencies to be caring and nurturing souls. The often took up causes. “Do you think I should try to do something like that, animal rights or save the planet or something?”

“If that’s what you want to do.” Air said. “It’s not a requirement.”

“I know, but most other earth ghouls do.”  
“You should talk to Papa about it. He will have a better idea about where the clergy is going and how much time you would have for a project.” Air took Earth’s hand over the center console. “I of course will assist you in whatever direction you decide to take.”

The zoo was huge. The high arches over the entrance could be seen from quite a distance. The aviary was the tallest structure; the glass building loomed over the park. Earth was excited. He pulled his black beanie down over his ears and hitched his uncomfortable jeans up a little higher before heading across the expansive parking lot. Papa had given them money for food and other expenses. Earth was ready to spend every cent of it.  
“Where do you want to go first?” Earth asked, clutching onto Air’s hand, so they wouldn’t be separated. They were just inside the entrance with a multitude of paths branching out before them. 

“I believe the zoo was built in a circular layout. We will end up passing every exhibit either way we go.”

“Then let's start with the African animals!”

Like what normally happened at zoos, quite a few of the exhibits were empty. Earth tried to prevent his disappointment from showing, but he had really wanted to see the lions. When he saw them in books they always reminded him of Fire. They looked cute, but then they opened their mouth and were significantly less adorable. Luckily, the tigers were out, and Earth managed to use a little earth ghoul magic to give them a little energy. He and Air watched them bounce around the pool for a few minutes before moving into the reptile enclosure, then into the aviary. Earth allowed himself to extend some of his ghoulish abilities again. Air played like he was annoyed when a small yellow parrot landed on his shoulder, but Earth saw him ruffle the bird’s feathers when Earth wasn’t looking directly at him. Air did allow himself to laugh when Earth spent a good fifteen minutes commenting on how the otters reminded him of Aether, especially the one that was carrying around a littler one on its stomach. 

“I’m sure Aether wouldn’t be offended in the least if he knew you were comparing him to a mother otter.”

“He shouldn’t be. They’re adorable, and great mothers.”

They stopped for an obnoxiously expensive lunch before finishing their tour of the zoo. The Asian Elephants were out along with the pandas. The other bears looked spent with their big furry bellies exposed to the sun. Before leaving, Earth insisted that they check back at the lion enclosure. A single female lion was lazing under the shade of a tree. 

“So, what did you think of the zoo?” Air asked, as he maneuvered the car out of the parking lot.

“They were all so big! I knew the elephants would be big and the giraffes, but even the groundhogs were bigger than I thought they would be. I mean even the gazelles were ginormous. How can humans think they could hunt that?”

“Humans have guns.”

“But, still!” Earth exclaimed. “Do you think we could convince Papa to get a bear. It wouldn’t have to be a big one.”

“We are not getting a bear.” Air denied. “You may be able to convince Papa that we need a cat, maybe a dog, but there is no way he will agree to a bear.”

“He may if you ask with me.” Earth pouted. “Going in with a negative attitude will only lead to negative results.”


End file.
